Rhymes: Blue Scholars - Cinemetropolis

Blue Scholars "Cinemetropolis" Kickstarter Campaign from Blue Scholars on Vimeo.

Another highly anticipated independent release in 2011 will be Blue Scholars' long-awaited 3rd LP, Cinemetropolis.

Sabzi and Geo released their 2007 opus, Bayani was originally released on Rawkus Records in 2007, then re-released through Duck Down in 2009, but this time they will completely cut out the record label, and release it completely independently. They have started a kickstarter page, asking fans to donate money to finance the album. The duo is trying to raise $25,000 by April 21. So far, fans have raised over $16,000 with 37 days to go.

There are great incentives for fans to donate to Blue Scholars including advanced copies of the album, concert tickets, limited edition posters, and more.

The sound of the album will be largely influenced by music of cinema, and will also include visuals to each track on the new record. Cinemetropolis is expected to be released in June, and a Fall tour will follow.

Rhymes: 2011 - Year of the Rhymesayer

2009 was a huge year for the Minnesota-based indie rap label with many releases finishing in my personal top records of that year. Last year the label had a handful of interesting releases, but 2011 is definitely gearing up to be the year of the Rhymesayer.


The first RSE release will be the Columbus emcee, Blueprint. "So Alive" is the third video/single released from the up-coming album, Adventures in Counter Culture. "So Alive" along with his other singles "Keep Bouncing" and "Radio-Inactive" are increasingly building hype around his album which will examine American Popular Culture.


The second RSE release of 2011 is also probably the most anticipated one - Atmosphere's first longplay in almost exactly 3 years, The Family Sign. The album is expected to continue the live instrumentation from guitarist Nate Collis and Key-man Erick Anderson, which were very prominent on last year's double EP release as well as the group's 2008 LP. On this track Slug tells a story about taking a loved one for granted. Another great concept for the music video features a dog being neglected by its family until it runs away, then the video concludes with a "Missing Dog" poster.


Grieves had a pretty big 2010: signing with RSE, Re-released his excellent 2008 album 88 Keys & Counting, and releasing a great EP on the RSE. 2011 is to be an even bigger year for the Seattle-based rapper, as he plans on releasing his first LP on Rhymesayers, Together/Apart. His rockstar looks and complex lyricism filled with vivid imagery reminiscent of a young Slug, will once again be complimented by Budo's guitar licks, piano loops and horns. Together/Apart is expected to see a June release.

Other Rhymesayers who are expecting to see a 2011 release include: Evidence's long awaited RSE debut Cats & Dogs
Freeway is also expected to see another release following his collaboration LP with Jake-One
The Seattle beatsmith, Jake-One is expected to release his follow up to his 2008 double-disc, White Van Music .

Rhymes: Macklemore - "My Oh My" (Live Performance)

It was November 2009 when Macklemore & Ryan Lewis first performed on KEXP, a radio station in their home town of Seattle. Up until that point, I had heard Macklemore on a great CunninLynguists track and a song called "Otherside." The track sampled the Red Hot Chili Peppers song of the same name. After watching their performance of the song on KEXP, I instantly became a believer.

This performance of "My Oh My," a tribute to Seattle Mariners' legendary play-by-play man, Dave Niehaus, gives me flashbacks of his "Otherside" performance nearly a year and a half earlier. This is the type of track that has an extremely specific topic, but his brilliant songwriting ability and passion he has for the subject is so powerful, you don't even have to be a baseball fan to feel this track.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have embarked on their first national tour, and judging by their Twitter and Facebook updates, it seems to be going very well. I wish them all the best, and I cannot wait for March 29 to see them perform with Blueprint in Ann Arbor.


Here's a little bonus video:



Macklemore interviewing his alter-ego, Sir Ravin Bowie, best known for his classic song "And We Danced," which always fills the dance floors of Troup and Reed house parties.

From Dwight Schrute's Beet Farm: Nora's MMmm Lists (part 2)

And here is the much awaited conclusion to Nora's Mmmm (again, the word that I used when blog was lame, but I made the word blog cool again) Lists.

5 Reasons I Hate You (Editor's Note: directed towards me presumably)
1. You say "Suck It" way too much. Rude. (Editor's Note: Suck it.)
2. You didn't like the Fleetwood in Ann Arbor (Editor's Note: my bad I don't like restaurants where a couple can openly fornicate three inches from where I'm trying to eat, and sorry I don't like restaurants where the person cooking my food can smoke cigarettes while cooking and serving my food. Michigan is a backwards ass state)
3. You don't like J Kwon
4. You hate Canada and Michigan
5. You have AIDS (Editor's note: I am completely disease free (well at least of AIDS and most STIs)


5 Reasons I Love You (Editor's Note: again towards me.)
1. Your taste in MOST music
2. You don't judge me for Hip Hop Nation
3. You are so Jewish with monie$$ (Editor's Note: We at BRL are accepting of all cultures and are in no way anti-Semitic. Also we encourage the proper spelling of money)
4. Whenever you are in my car "Runaway" plays
5. You met Nala and Lulu (Rest in Peace, Bitches) (editor's note: Nala and Lulu are Nora's now deceased dogs. When I visited her in Michigan, one of them never moved and the other pissed everywhere)

5 Things I Despise of Troup (Editor's note she means about Troup, which is my home)
1. No Heat
2. Dishes
3. Smells of stale beer on Sundays.
4. The way the house looks after weekend parties
5. (Editor's Note: The paper was torn so i cant read #5, but I'm sure it sucked)


Things we Should Do This Year:
- Concerts
- Go to Ann Arbor
- Go to Zoo
- Go to Art Museum
- Have competition for who can drink more
- Learn how to use twitter (That's for MEE!!) (Editor's Note: Nora can now successfully use Twitter. Congratz, bitch)